Training Balance

I love working out. No, I’m serious. I love working up a hard sweat, gasping, feeling my muscles burn and taking a long shower afterwards.

The most common question I get asked is what kind of workout split I’m on. And the truth is… I’m not. Yes, I believe that to see results you need a plan, but sometimes, life doesn’t always agree with you.

Scrap those and add some pole!

The thing is, on a daily basis, I work hard. Between teaching multiple pole sessions each day, weekly spin class and my own workouts, I demand a lot of my body. Which means that I also need to listen to it.

At this point in my career, committing to a split routine is just not practical. I wake up frequently with sore muscles that must be loosened up before I teach. While it is ideal for me to work out every day, sometimes by body just can’t cope.

But muscle soreness is not a reason to give into laziness. On days that I struggle to get my body out of bed and don’t have to teach, I’m still active. I may not physically commit to a workout but instead I loosen up my muscles with light biking, yoga or hiking. Sitting still for me is simply not an option.

But where do you draw the line? How do you find balance between doing what you love and giving your muscles what they need? You listen to your body.

People often question why I don’t work weekends. Because I know my body needs time to not be pulling, inverting and twirling. On a general basis, throughout the week I push my body through two pole workouts, 15 pole sessions and 3 strength/metabolic workouts. On the weekends, I do what my body wants to do- which every so often, is absolutely nothing.

Do I skip weekday workouts? Nope. But they do adapt to what my body needs. When I wake up tired, struggle to reach the alarm clock and the thought of doing any sort of chin up makes me cringe, I do a leg workout- because I know my upper body can’t handle both teaching and my own demands. If I wake up and stumble out of bed because my legs can barely hold me, I opt for a light metabolic/kickboxing workout which I know will loosen them up.

Training balance is about knowing what’s best for your body. It’s about learning to adapt your workouts so you enjoy them. It’s about mentally being able to give it your all. Allowing your body time to rest and recover is what improves it. There are many different workouts that will give you results and keep you healthy,. Do the ones you enjoy- that’s how you find balance.